It is hotter than hot in the city, Angel and her mom and aunt do their best to keep cool. Brightly colored illustrations cover the pages. A nice touch, on the back flap the author and illustrator share how they beat the heat in their home towns. ( )

On the hottest night of the summer, Angel, her aunt and mother drag mattresses to the rooftop in hopes of cooler weather.

This is a short, sweet story about a girl, her mother and aunt who can't stand the summer heat! The girl escapes the heat by "thinking cool thoughts". Like mom and aunt used to do when they were little, they decide to sleep on the roof. The next day it rains and they are very grateful. This book has a lot of personification and alliteration, which would be good to share as an example. ( )

(easy, picture) It is the hottest summer ever set in an urban landscape. Angel, her mother and her aunt can't do anything to escape the heat except sit and melt or count ice cubes in their head. When Angel's aunt remembers how she and Angel's mom used to sleep on the roof in heat waves, Angel's light bulb goes on. They end up spending the night on the roof and Angel is sure that ice cube magic takes away the heat because when they wake up the next day, it is no longer hot but starts to rain! The trio end up singing and dancing in the cool rain. In the future, if it gets hot, Angel vows to rely upon her ice cube magic. This book is good for a discussion on how people live in different places, or different climates. You could also talk about fun and different ways to deal with heat. ( )